What Donald Trump and “Everyone” Knew About Jeffrey Epstein

What Donald Trump and “Everyone” Knew About Jeffrey Epstein

Author: The New Yorker February 16, 2026 Duration: 35:18
In January, the Justice Department released over three million documents, including many redacted e-mails, related to Jeffrey Epstein. “Should we share the Julie Brown text with Alan [Dershowitz],” Epstein wrote in one note to a lawyer. “She is going to start trouble. Asking for victims etc.” Brown’s reporting on Epstein for the Miami Herald, and her revelations about the federal plea deal he received, had an enormous impact on public perception of Epstein and his ties to Trump. Brown joins David Remnick to discuss the latest tranche of redacted e-mails, which show, as she reported, that Trump knew about his friend’s crimes far earlier than he has admitted. Brown and Remnick also talk about Epstein’s relationship with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and why she does not believe that Epstein died by suicide.  The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.  Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.

Each week, The Political Scene | The New Yorker brings the magazine’s signature depth and clarity directly to your ears. This isn’t just a recap of headlines; it’s a sustained conversation with the people who spend their days investigating the forces shaping our world. You’ll hear from the publication’s own writers and editors, whose reporting and analysis provide essential context for understanding today’s complex political landscape. The rhythm of the week structures these discussions: Mondays feature editor David Remnick in thoughtful conversations and narratives about unfolding events. Then, on Wednesdays, senior editor Tyler Foggatt selects one consequential story and explores it thoroughly through interviews with both New Yorker staff and leading outside voices. Fridays round out the week with contributions from the magazine’s staff writers, offering their distinct perspectives. Tuning into this podcast means getting behind the scenes of the journalism itself, listening as sharp minds dissect power, policy, and the human stories at the heart of it all. It’s for anyone who wants to move beyond the noise and find a more nuanced, informed take on American politics and global affairs.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Political Scene | The New Yorker
Podcast Episodes
Is Donald Trump Creating the Conditions for Another World War? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:54
The Washington Roundtable discusses Donald Trump’s use of force in Venezuela, his desire to take over Greenland, and the historical echoes of the Administration’s new imperialist projects. The panel also considers Trump’…
The Company Behind the A.I. Boom [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:40
Across the country, data centers that run A.I. programs are being constructed at a record pace. A large percentage of them use chips built by the tech colossus Nvidia. The company has nearly cornered the market on the ha…
How Should We Approach A.I. in 2026? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:50
The writers Charles Duhigg, Cal Newport, and Anna Wiener join Tyler Foggatt for a conversation about artificial intelligence and the promises, myths, and anxieties surrounding it. The discussion was recorded before a liv…
Graham Platner Is Staying in the Race [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:06
The Republican Susan Collins has held one of Maine’s Senate seats for nearly thirty years, and Democrats, in trying to take it away from her, have a lot at stake. Graham Platner, a combat veteran, political activist, and…
Isaac Chotiner Sums Up Politics in 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:01
The New Yorker staff writer Isaac Chotiner joins Tyler Foggatt to reflect on several of the most notable interviews he conducted in 2025. They discuss competing theories about the origins of political violence over the p…
Leon Panetta on the Trump Administration’s Venezuelan Boat Strikes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:48
In the course of his long career, Leon Panetta was a lieutenant in the Army, a congressman from California, Bill Clinton’s White House chief of staff, Barack Obama’s director of the C.I.A., and later, his Secretary of De…
The Washington Roundtable’s 2025 in Review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:36
The Washington Roundtable discusses what surprised them in 2025, reflecting on the major shock-and-awe events that defined the first year of Donald Trump’s second term: the capitulation of major law firms, universities,…
Inside Trump’s Artless Takeover of the Kennedy Center [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:45
The New Yorker staff writer Katy Waldman joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how the Kennedy Center, the premier performing-arts hub in Washington, D.C., has been transformed under President Trump’s second term—and under his…